Shoulder Pain

What is shoulder pain?

The shoulder joint is the most mobile joint in the body. It is a ball and socket joint that connects the humerus, clavicle, and scapula (shoulder blade). The pain may be coming from one of the joints or the surrounding muscles, tendons, or ligaments.

The rotator cuff is the primary mover of the shoulder joint allowing you to raise and rotate your arm. It is made up of a group of four muscles: the supraspinatus, infraspinatus, teres minor, and subscapularis. Other muscles of the shoulder include the triceps, pectoralis major and minor, biceps brachii, and latissimus dorsi.

Shoulder pain is also often accompanied by stiffness, inability to move it normally, and muscle weakness. You may also have a sense that it might pop out of the socket. It may hurt only when you move or it can be constant. It usually comes on suddenly or overtime, but can also be intermittent.

What are the common causes of shoulder pain?

Injuries, such as a dislocation, fracture, or tear, are the most common cause of shoulder pain. As you grow older, you may also experience more problems in your shoulder. With age, the soft tissue surrounding the shoulder tends to degenerate.

Other not uncommon causes of shoulder pain include:

You may also be experiencing referred pain. This is when your shoulder (or any other part of your body) hurts after you’ve injured another part of your body. In the case of the shoulder, referred pain usually comes from the neck muscles or bicep. Referred pain usually doesn’t get worse when you move.

What are the treatments for shoulder pain?

Call 911 and seek immediate medical help if you’re experiencing sudden arm pain, difficulty breathing, or tightness in the chest. These are the symptoms of a heart attack. Also, call 911 if you’ve injured your shoulder and are bleeding or can see exposed tissue.

If you are experiencing a limited ability to lift your arm or move your shoulder, lasting bruising, hotness, or tenderness around the joint, or the pain persists a week or more, BackFit Health + Spine can help. For injury recovery or long-lasting shoulder pain, proper diagnosis into the cause of your pain is imperative. A medical history, physical exam, and imaging are typical.

Once we have a diagnosis, here at BackFit we effectively treat shoulder problems naturally with:

• Anti-inflammatories
• Chiropractic adjustments
• Physical therapy
• Prolotherapy and other joint injections
• Spinal decompression
• Trigger point therapy

If you’re looking to avoid surgery, recovering from injury or surgery, looking to avoid pain medications, or you don’t know why your shoulder hurts, our medical options may be right for you.